Did you hear the one about the mushroom that walked into the bar? Yeah. The bartender looks at him and says, “We don’t serve your kind here.”

And the mushroom looks at the bartender and says, “Why not? I’m a fun guy!”

Man, do I ever love that joke.

And man, do I ever love this stew, which is chock full of another thing I love: mushrooms, baby. Mushrooms.

Start with stew meat, usually sirloin, and usually sold already cut into cubes and labeled “Stew Meat.”

I love it when life just makes sense.

You’ll also need lots and lots of mushrooms. I like these lovely little brown numbers, which are sometimes called cremini…but are sometimes called baby portabellos.

Did you know cremini and baby portobellos are the same?

I love it when things fall into place.

I also happen to love mushrooms.

As in, love. As in, sometimes I have daydreams about them.

Oh, and you want to know something else? I rinse mushrooms. Yeah. It’s true. I rinse my chicken, I rinse my pork, and for the life of me I will never be able to wipe a mushroom with a damp cloth and feel like they’re clean enough to eat.

I’m Pioneer Woman. And I rinse mushrooms in a colander.

And I don’t care who knows it!

Shallots. I rarely have them, but when I do I love them.

You can use onions instead. But try shallots sometime! The flavor is so deep. So wonderful.

Just peel the outer layer of paper/skin from the shallots. Most are the light purple shade (left), but some are white like onions (right.)

Then dice them up pretty finely.

I wanted some garlic, too. And when I want garlic, I get garlic.

I get garlic, or things get broken.

And this is but one of 3,675 reasons I’m glad Pam came into my life. Peel the clove, then slice the clove…

Throw some butter in a heavy dutch oven or pot over high heat. High, because we want to sear the stew meat and get a little color on the outside.

Pour in a little olive oil, too.

When it’s very hot, throw in the meat. Do a couple of batches so the meat won’t be crammed in there. You want it to be in a single layer.

Let it sit without stirring on the first side for several seconds, then flip the meat over to the other side to get it nice and brown.

Remove the meat to a plate while you do the other batch. Remove it from the pan when it’s done.

Look at the bottom of that pan! Gorgeous. Now throw in the shallots (or onions) and garlic.

But you might want to remember to turn down the heat first, or things will start to turn black really quick.

Oops.

Now throw in the mushrooms.

And stir them around for a couple of minutes to coat them with yummy stuff and start the cooking process.

Now pour in about 1/3 to 1/2 cup red wine.

It makes everything good.

Grab a can of beef consomme, which can be found right near the beef broth in the soup aisle. I use beef consomme in my beef brisket recipe, so I always have a can handy. But you can certainly substitute broth if you’d like.

Generally speaking, consomme is a little richer than broth. Also, it’s slightly more gelatinous than broth…and it’s perfectly clear. I’m a consomme freakazoid. I love the stuff, and use it in a lot of beef dishes.

Pour in about half the can (save the other half in a clean container in the fridge), and add an equal amount of water.

Seriously, I could just slurp this up right now and be as happy as a clam.

Bring it to a rolling boil, adding in some salt…

And plenty of freshly ground black pepper.

When the mushrooms are nice and bubbly…

Dump in all the meat (and the juice, too!)

Stir to combine.

Throw in a couple of sprigs of thyme…or rosemary…or both!

Then turn the heat to a simmer, cover the pot, and walk away, baby! It’s best that way. Cook it for at least 30 minutes.

After about 30 minutes, mix about 2 tablespoons of flour with twice that amount of water and pour it into the pot to thicken the mix a little. Let it cook another ten minutes to thicken.

And here’s a tip: Let the stew sit for awhile before serving. The meat just gets more and more tender. Yum!

To serve, I broke some fettuccine noodles in half and put them to work! Egg noodles are good, as are a big bunch of mashed potatoes.

And spoon the magic—sauce and all—over the top of the noodles.

Oh dear. Check it out.

Delicious!

I love you, Beef Stew with Mushrooms. I love you for who you are, and I’m so glad you’re not fiddling around with carrots and potatoes and all that nonsense, and that I can just enjoy you in your stripped-down glory.

Preparation Instructions

Sprinkle flour over meat. Toss to coat.

Melt butter with olive oil in heavy pot. Sear meat over high heat in batches; remove to a plate when brown.

Add shallots and garlic to pan (without cleaning); saute for 2 minutes over medium-low heat. Add mushrooms and cook for 2 minutes. Pour in wine and consomme (and add an extra half can of water at this time as well.) Then add salt and pepper to taste, and stir. Bring to a boil, then add back into the mix the browned meat. Reduce heat to low. Add thyme sprigs to pot.

Cover and simmer for 30 to 45 minutes. After that time, mix 2 tablespoons flour with a little water and pour into the stew. Allow to cook and thicken for ten more minutes. Turn off heat and allow stew to sit for 15 to 20 minutes before serving.

418 Comments

Lisa Hartman On Wednesday, December 2 at 3:52 pm

I could hear the 70′s make out music as I placed the plate in front of my husband…he was in love all over again. Kids loved it too!

302

Teddie Drummond Freese On Wednesday, December 2 at 3:54 pm

All I want for Chritsmas is my oldest son to get a job and our family to be happy.
Love the Lord above all else.

303

Rebekah Pelofsky On Wednesday, December 2 at 4:06 pm

I would like the lord to bless me with gratitude!

304

Lisa Leitzell On Wednesday, December 2 at 4:11 pm

I want to own my own home, it’s been my dream since I was a little girl.

305

SuperJay On Wednesday, December 2 at 4:17 pm

My wife to get over her morning sickness

306

Traci W On Wednesday, December 2 at 4:20 pm

This beef stew is begging for a spoonful of sour cream.

307

Karen W. On Wednesday, December 2 at 4:46 pm

I don’t want any kind of stuff this year, I just want to have a good time with family. My mother has Alzhimers and I would like for her to enjoy this Christmas, you never know when will be the last good Christmas she will have.

308

Sheila On Wednesday, December 2 at 4:47 pm

since my favorite purse just broke, I think that is what I need most right now. World peace would be at the top of the most important list. God Bless and Merry Christmas to all!!

Becky Sparks On Wednesday, December 2 at 4:49 pm

kathy mauchamer On Wednesday, December 2 at 5:23 pm

I’d love to see my family.

312

Cathy On Wednesday, December 2 at 5:41 pm

No kidding, I’m looking at my list right now and it’s your cookbook!

313

Julie On Wednesday, December 2 at 5:56 pm

I had a hot date last night and made this for him. Good lord in heaven, Ree…it was absolutely PHENOMENAL!! It did the trick…he asked me to be his girlfriend If we have a little girl one day, looks like we’ll be naming her Ree. Or Beef Stew with Mushrooms. We’ve still got time to decide

Brandy Trottier On Wednesday, December 2 at 6:21 pm

Leah Baxter On Wednesday, December 2 at 6:58 pm

I am cooking this RIGHT NOW. The smell of the mushrooms in the wine is heaven!!! I want to stop and just eat them up now!! But, I’ll resist-I’m sure it will be fantastic with the meat and over my mashed potatoes! Thanks Ree!

319

Martha On Wednesday, December 2 at 7:13 pm

I want my bills paid!

320

Elaine Cooper On Wednesday, December 2 at 7:25 pm

For Christmas this year….I just want my family to be together. My daughter, Sarah had her identity stolen. Yes, someone emptied out her bank account. She had just relocated to another state too. Money is very tight with her now. I just would love to have all of my children with me for Christmas.

321

Adrienne On Wednesday, December 2 at 7:34 pm

To get into a ph.d, program!!!

322

Wussygirl On Wednesday, December 2 at 7:54 pm

making this tonite, as it was perfect for a coooooold night here in Big D. Smells yummy!!! Cannot wait to eat it!!!

323

Sue Hess On Wednesday, December 2 at 8:06 pm

Made this tonight and husband and I loved it!!! Polishing off the wine now!

Wondering how many people made this with conventional vs. organic mushrooms? I’m on a huge organic trip these days and want to share the movement with others. Check out this vid about it i’m obsessed with http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pJKogEGnCJE and let me know what you think.

325

aaron wells On Wednesday, December 2 at 8:26 pm

what i would really like for christmas is a dog sitter/walker for the up coming year. my babies spend so much time cooped up at home while we are at work, and they don’t get the luxury of being outdoors all the time. a sitter/walker would make it handy for them to get the necessary exercise

326

Joe Sherwin On Wednesday, December 2 at 8:40 pm

I would just like to win a drawing on Pioneer Womans blog.
And I want to wish her, and the whole crew a most Merry Christmas & Happy Holidays !!

I don’t know if you’ve already been asked this… but… how do you keep your Le Creuset dutch ovens so clean? Mine stayed nice and clean for a long time, but in the last year or so I haven’t been able to get the black/brown stains off and I’m sure they’re here to stay. Do you use something special to clean them after each use (esp. when you make something like this stew that gives you all those lovely bits on the bottom that need to be de-glazed off?). Or is my dirty dutch oven just a sign that I haven’t been taking as good care of it as I could have, or that it’s just old, or that I’m a terrible person?
Thanks
Trish

Kim Quillin On Wednesday, December 2 at 9:59 pm

janice Routh On Wednesday, December 2 at 10:03 pm

I made this recipe last night. Very yummylicious!! Next time I would slice my own (better cut) sirloin. I have never been a big fan of stew meat. I served it over egg noodles. Even my picky eater loved it!!

334

Marlen Wolfe On Wednesday, December 2 at 10:24 pm

I really don’t need anything this year but to have my husband who is in Afghanistan during our 9th anniversary this Wednesday. This is the only time we have not been together for our anniversary and Christmas. But it’s all good.

335

Vanessa On Wednesday, December 2 at 10:32 pm

Ree, i made this tonight, and my fussy daughter devoured it! She even had the courage to taste mushrooms for the first time, and is now convinced that she loves them! Thanks for another fool-proof recipe. You know what I love about your photo journal recipes? When I’m at the store and forgot (again!) to write down a shopping list, usually my mind will remember all the steps by picturing it on your blog, and I remember everything I need for your recipes. Thanks again!

336

JennyZ On Wednesday, December 2 at 10:40 pm

I made this tonight and it was fantastic…even though my podunk small town grocer did not have shallots. I used a white onion instead, which had a pretty good flavor. Also, I was cooking for only 3 so I used about 1# of meat and the entire 8oz of mushrooms. The overall flavor was great. It was similar to a beef stroganoff, so next time I will add some sour cream at the end to finish the sauce.

337

Elario Coombs On Wednesday, December 2 at 11:21 pm

A Dell

338

Anne Schneller On Wednesday, December 2 at 11:21 pm

I want everyone to be happy, have enough to eat, and a safe place to live.

339

Pat Lubben On Wednesday, December 2 at 11:28 pm

I am 64 years so there’s not much I really need. Would like the mixer though. My 7 year old granddaughter likes to bake things and this would be nice to have for us to try and bake together. She has dairy and egg allergies so we need to try and make things she can have. Doing things with her makes me happy.

Jenn On Wednesday, December 2 at 11:53 pm

made it, loved it.
No mushrooms though GAG. I HATE mushrooms, but when hubby comes home from the Navy I’ll make this for him with the mushrooms he’ll love it.

344

Robin M On Thursday, December 3 at 1:13 am

I made this for my housemate tonight while waiting for your cookbook to arrive – UPS brought it at 9:00PM! anyway… He Loved It! It smelled so good, and I so wanted to eat some – but I have to wait until having surgery on Friday. Sometimes, you just need to cook something to set your mind still from worry!

345

Karen W. On Thursday, December 3 at 7:25 am

I am confused. The description says add water, but I did not see it in the recipe when I printed it. Everyone said it was tasty, so do I add the water or what? My husband wants me to make this and I’ll be honest I don’t like stew. I thought I would try this because it seems more like a strogenoff than the traditional stew that I am used to. Can anyone clarrify that for me? Thanks!

Update to my post last night…. This was HEAVEN!!! Hubby at first asked “where’s the carrots and potatoes?”….”wine, you know I don’t like wine in my food!”… well Rea, he ate those words … and LOVED every bite of it! This was the best tasting stew ever! I promised him I would try it with his Venison!
Thanks hun……
~Smiles~
Cathy

Karen,
Yes, add about 5.5 oz of water ( half a soup can) when you add consomme /beef broth! It is DELISH!!

348

Kathryn On Thursday, December 3 at 9:50 am

Made it last night for a dinner party tonight. I think the flavors have deepened even more sittin (settin?) in the fridge. I’ll have to pick the mushrooms out for the boyfriend, but all the other guests will go insane. I used more meat and more mushroom than the recipe called for, therefore, added the entire can of consomme and 1/2 a can of broth and 1/2 cup wine. Turned out great! Thanks, Ree!

349

Carol On Thursday, December 3 at 11:30 am

Made this last night … I added a half cup of sour cream …it was delish….
This is a keeper recipe.. Thanks : )

350

Deb On Thursday, December 3 at 12:27 pm

Wonderful, rich, tasty recipe!

We had this for dinner last night and it was supberb! Instead of the pasta – crash hot potatos from Tasty Kitchen recipes went over really well

I made this last night because as you know firsthand, Dallas was pretty darn cold yesterday! I also made your creamy mashed potatoes. My husband and I were in heaven. Thanks for the wonderful and warm meal idea!!

352

Judy K. On Thursday, December 3 at 3:14 pm

I made this the other nite and man was it tasty!! I too did not add the water as the printable recipe doesn’t have that part in it. Still came out perfect! Can’t wait to eat up the leftovers!!

oh my god I’m just shivering with delight. How wonderful ! I can’t.absolutely.wait to cook this. yum yum. And I love the fact you’re not shy about using Campbell’s =) I use some of their soups in my stews. haha =)

362

Ken On Saturday, December 5 at 1:27 pm

Outstanding! Just made it tonight, and ate some — nicely done! I’m less of a purist, so I threw in a diced potato, diced carrot, some chili pepper, tomato, garbanzos, and dried mushrooms, and it pretty much rocks. Thanks, and congrats on your book tour!

363

Janet in MD On Saturday, December 5 at 5:14 pm

We had our first snowstorm of the season today. This stew is cooking (and smells WONDERFUL) as I’m wrapping Christmas gifts. I plan to bake some Christmas cookies after supper. What a perfect day – and a perfect meal for a day like this! Thanks for the recipe.

364

sugar On Saturday, December 5 at 7:13 pm

I am making this tonight. I don’t have any red wine, though, so I hope it comes out all right!

Love this site, PW–and have requested your book for Xmas.

365

Steph On Sunday, December 6 at 1:09 pm

I am making this for sure tonight! I love the serving bowl, I wish I knew where to find it, so I could add it to my Christmas wish list!

366

Heather On Sunday, December 6 at 8:13 pm

We were supposed to get some snow today, so I purposefully planned to make this, but the snow didn’t show! Oh well, I’m making it anyway!! I’ve never had crimini’s so I’m going to use a combo of them and white button mushrooms, so we’ll see! And um, I don’t even wipe off my mushrooms…just flick off any stray pieces of dirt. Can we still be friends?

Well I am sad to say I only JUST found your site…I have MISSED OUT. I am a foodie…but mostly a mushroomaholic!!! LOVE this simple ..but I am sure delicious…recipe. I bet this lets the flavors SHINE…
I will be following for sure.

368

Eliza On Monday, December 7 at 9:16 am

This was a spectacular shortcut for someone who wants beef stew, but doesn’t want to commit to an entire day of it cooking. I made this last night and it rocked. My bf and I had this over mashed potatoes, and this will now be my go-to recipe for beef stew.
Thanks Ree! Hoping to make it to NYC this weekend!

369

Timothy On Monday, December 7 at 10:48 am

Made this over the weekend. Used more beef and more mushrooms as I was having this for a dinner party. used the whole can of consume and did not add any extra water and it was AMAZING served over mashed potatoes and some crusty Italian bread that I put in the oven for a few minutes with some olive oil to crisp up

370

R.J. On Monday, December 7 at 1:23 pm

Great recipe. Turned out wonderfully. I did slice my mushrooms instead of leaving them whole and I used more than the recipe called for because we love mushrooms!

371

Annette On Monday, December 7 at 3:43 pm

I made this over the weekend and loved how simple it was to make. Can’t wait to have it again and add more mushrooms next time.

372

Susan On Monday, December 7 at 10:48 pm

PW, you’ve never steered me wrong, but I must have made a mistake cooking this… the whole thing seemed really greasy at the end. I didn’t use as much stew meat but followed the rest of the recipe… I got two servings and a pan full of oily food. I would not use the consumme again…. ick. And maybe half the oil/butter. There was almost no liquid other than fat after I added the water & flour. Hope others had more success with their attempts.

373

katie On Tuesday, December 8 at 12:33 pm

making this tonight

374

chris On Tuesday, December 8 at 6:25 pm

I am also making this tonight, served over mashed potatoes. Mmmmm!

375

jenninfrisco On Tuesday, December 8 at 10:01 pm

made this tonight. yummy! please update the cook time from 30 min! if you add up the simmer covered, plus simmer after roux, plus sit for 10 – 15min it comes out to about an hour. started with ingredients at 5pm and we ate at 6:45p. my husband took one bite and said, ‘this is good.’ that is high praise since i usually have to drag it out of him!

Ash On Wednesday, December 9 at 11:17 am

Ummm….this recipe did not turn out for me. The meat was too tough and there was not that much flavor. I added some sherry at the end, but to no avail. I always know when there is silence at the table, my family is trying not to hurt my feelings! I finally said something, and they all said, “Yeah, it’s not that good. The meat is too tough.” Oh well, this is my first recipe of PW’s that didn’t turn out, but that’s okay.

379

Jacob On Friday, December 11 at 7:45 pm

Wow, this was amazing. <3

380

Kelly in TX On Saturday, December 12 at 8:34 pm

I have a pot simmering on the stove as I type. I’ve tasted it and it’s pretty good so far. I did double up the liquid because we are a gravy lovin family. I also doubled up the mushrooms. I also used ribeye steaks we got from AFM rather than stewmeat, the sauted meat was so tasty, I had to kick DH out of the kitchen or he would have eaten the whole plate of beef. So far so good, I hope the rest of the family thinks so.

I tried this tonight. Perfect to start that while I baked cardamom bread for my “neighbor gifts” today. This was, without question, the best stew I’ve ever made. Since there’s just two of us, I used half the meat. That’s not going to work in the future – we ate the whole pot!

382

April On Sunday, December 13 at 4:19 pm

Excellent with venison. I sub venison for lots of beef recipes and this one is excellent. I added a bunch of fresh spinach at the end. Awesome.

383

April On Sunday, December 13 at 4:28 pm

oops. I should add that if you do decide to sub venison and you’re not familiar with that meat, do let it simmer on low for at least one hour. The longer you simmer the more likely you will have fall apart meat. 30 minutes = chewy but tender…

Catherine P. from Michigan On Sunday, December 20 at 7:44 pm

I made this a few days ago. My husband loved it and so did I. Served it over brown rice instead of pasta. I used apple juice instead of wine because I didn’t want to buy wine. Next time, I will double the mushrooms because they tasted soooooooo good and there was a lot more beef than mushrooms in this. We’ll definitely be making this frequently.

388

Sandi Roberts On Thursday, December 24 at 3:41 pm

looks really good..

389

kandy On Saturday, January 2 at 1:03 pm

I don’t get that joke??

390

Karen K On Saturday, January 2 at 5:00 pm

# 389… You mean “I’m a fungi?”

I am inspired. I printed this right away and I am going to make it. I think I will probably cook the meat longer so it will (hopefully) be more tender but other than that I cannot wait to make it. I think it would be good with chanterelle mushrooms. Oh my they are yummy… Thank you!

The last time I looked they were asking around 8.00 a lb for mushrooms, here on Guam, but after looking at this I might just have to break down and get some!

393

Lisa On Sunday, January 3 at 4:26 pm

Mmm! This is simmering on the stove right now! Like many of the others, I used more mushrooms – mainly because I don’t have a kitchen scale and have no sense of volume/weight without one! So, I used a full can of broth, about a half cup of water, and about a full cup of wine. Smells incredible – my husband was poking around the kitchen the whole time I was making it!

My only question would be is there a way to sear the meat without so much fat added?

Thanks Ree!

394

MichelleB On Sunday, January 3 at 7:45 pm

I made this tonight (in 20 degree winter weather), served over mashed potatoes – cozy and wonderful! thanks for the recipe!

395

jessica On Sunday, January 3 at 8:31 pm

i made this earlier, even though i was afraid it would be too rich. i was so wrong. it was wonderful. i can’t wait for leftovers tomorrow.

Yum, and I had to improvise. I used the broth from a can of Caramelized French Onion Soup and a bit of beef bouillon in place of the consomme and dry vermouth in place of the red wine. It’s really, really good. Thanks.

397

Jenney On Monday, January 4 at 2:02 am

This was so good, that my 4 year-old daughter actually wanted to eat the mushrooms specifically. I did too, and I was never a huge fan of mushrooms. There were no creminis at the market today, so I used portobellos that I cut into huge chunks. They were so good that the meat was almost an afterthought.

398

Frosty On Monday, January 4 at 6:05 am

excellent.. I served it over homemade noodles and I wash my mushrooms in a collander also..

399

Elaine On Tuesday, January 5 at 11:03 am

I bet this would taste great wrapped up in a nice little puff pastry too

Saturday, April 4: Freezer Fundamentals! While ranch work is going on outside, freezer work is going on inside! I share four more of my favorite freezer basics, which can be made into a whole bunch of different meals.